Hybrids

BMW's Hybrid Tech to Power Workhorse Delivery Trucks

BMW has signed a multiple-year supply agreement to integrate its i3 range extender (REx) units into the Workhorse step van to extend the range of the Class 3-5 delivery vehicles.

Parcel and other delivery companies typically use Workhorse E-Gen step vans on routes of 60 miles or less that make up the "last mile" of delivery, according to the Workhorse Group.

Under the agreement, Workhorse will use BMW's 647-cc two-cylinder gasoline engine, lithium-ion battery pack, and the electronics that underpins the system used in BMW's i3 hatchback. The vehicles will operate on electric power for the first 60 miles, then engage the gasoline engine to provide about 120 miles of total range for the delivery truck, said Steve Burns, Workhorse founder and CEO.

"We cater to fleets with last-mile delivery, so 120 miles covers almost any route they do," Burns said. "Our goal is to make it a complete replacement that can do anything a gasoline truck can do."

A Workhorse E-Gen truck can deliver approximately 30 miles of equivalent mpg to a gasoline model when operating in electric mode and about 5.5 mpg when operating in gasoline mode, Burns said. Workhorse offers the trucks with GVWs from 12,500 to 19,500 pounds.

Land Rover's 2019 Range Rover will retail for at least $89,960, including a $995 delivery fee, and the new plug-in hybrid variant will cost $1,100 more than the comparable gasoline-powered model, the company has announced.

Hyundai has reduced the price of its base 2018 Sonata Plug-In Hybrid by $1,350 to $34,135, including a $885 delivery fee, and increased the model's all-electric and overall driving range while upgrading the interior of the midsize sedan, the automaker has announced.